Dark Mode

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Dark Mode is a new difficulty level which was introduced with the Version 2.0 patch for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. It is described as similar in difficulty to the "Insane" mode while allowing the player to save their game. It also comes with three sets of special "Dark Mode" armor and weapons, listed below.

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The ‘Dark’ difficulty setting is the most demanding difficulty level in gameplay terms besides Insane, which features similar difficulty but with saves becoming unusable upon death. Under this setting, each and every foe represents a significant challenge. In addition to raising the difficulty bar, the module includes several new sets of equipment/items that are linked through a dark legend detailed in the Journal. Once all their components have been collected and donned, the Blasphemer’s, Oathbreaker’s and Kinslayer’s outfits provide great advantages in combat. The swords included in the outfits strip opponents of Vitality while supplementing the witcher’s. However, given that they are cursed, the swords provide no benefit and harm Geralt by sapping him of Vitality as long as the outfits to which they belong remain incomplete. ATTENTION ! Stock studded leather for chapter II Oathbreaker set if you are doing Iorveth path. Storing silver ores is also recommended since their refreshing rate in chapter II is quite low compared to chapter I.

This armor set is attainable only while playing on Dark difficulty level in Chapter I. To craft the armor set, visit Berthold Candeleria, the dwarven blacksmith in Flotsam. You'll need to spend a lot of money and crafting ingredients, so you might wish to prepare for that. There are six items that comprise the whole armor set:

A good way to earn enough money to afford said materials is to not complete the side quest: The Nekker contract. Instead of destroying the nest with a grapeshot outright, just keep visiting them periodically. You can then sell the the organs from the monsters to generate the funds to acquire all the ingredients for the armor set.

In similar manner you can farm endregas before completing The Endrega Contract - saving game and reloading causes all endregas near their nests respawn.

Another less time consuming way is to repeatedly participate in brawling or arm wrestling competitions at the inn.

To craft the armor set, visit Lasota, the Kaedweni blacksmith in the camp (Roche's path) or Mael (Iorveth's path). You'll need to spend a lot of money and crafting ingredients, so you might wish to prepare for that. There are six items that comprise the whole armor set:

An easy and very fast way to obtain the Oathbreaker's Outfit and weapons in the second chapter, Roche's path, is to farm Harpies. On your way to the Visionary's house (Northeast of the Kaedweni Camp) you get attacked by several of them. They will simply respawn by stepping into the circle of candles, in front of the house, and stepping back out. Similarly in Iorveth's path, as long as you don't destroy their nests, the harpies will continue to respawn in the gully. Harpie feathers can be sold for 9 orens each, the rest of the drops for 4 orens. This is a quick way to make money and obtain all the items for the outfit. You can also challenge Adam Pangratt to arm wrestling matches for a max of 100 orens. There doesn't seem to be a limit to the number of times you can challenge him so long as you have a minimum of 50 orens. However, he will only accept your challenge once you've advanced far enough in Bring It On: Kaedweni Camp

NOTE: The draugir armor fragment can be picked up right at the start of Chapter 2 during the fight to protect King Henselt from the curse. If it is not collected there, players on Iorveth's path can collect it from the draugir encountered during the journey to the other side of the mist. Players on Roche's path who miss it early in chapter 2 are out of luck until they cross the mist for the Symbol of Hatred quest, and are well advised to reload from the autosave prior to the fight. In aforementioned quest, the draugir armor fragment is dropped by the bullvore you encounter after crossing the mist in the labyrinth cave maze before meeting Zoltan Chivay and Saskia underneath Vergen.

The diagrams of the Kinslayer's Outfit, scattered throughout Loc Muinne. You'll need to spend a lot of money and crafting ingredients, so you might wish to prepare for that. There are six items that comprise the whole armor set:

The only way to generate money indefinitely in this chapter is killing gargoyles or the harpies that spawn in the entrance to Loc Muinne. Gargoyles only spawn in three areas where the basement with the rune puzzles are. The gargoyles will not follow you down the stairs and you can meditate there for a few hours for them to respawn. If you farm the harpies kill them and meditate twenty-four hours to respawn them.Sell their drops to make a fair sum. Or just stock up on money in chapter 2 with the harpy run by the Visionary's hut or through arm wrestling.